Elementary
by Barducco
Summary: Nymphadora Tonks for Remus Lupin was the air, the earth, the fire and the water all in one.


**A/N: Hey! Please note that this is my first english fanfiction so there must be some mistakes, I am so sorry. This is my OTP since I was 13 so I have lots of headcanon and a handful of ideas to write. Let me know your thoughts! This starts before Harry got rescued from the Dursleys on OoTP.**

**SUMMARY: Nymphadora Tonks for Remus Lupin was the air, the earth, the fire and the water all in one.**

I. Air

Nymphadora Tonks was fresh air on a summer day. She was young, funny and delightful and that was the main reason why he was at the middle of the Diagon Alley with his right hand full of bags and an huge chocolate ice cream in the other one.

"So, that's why I think pumpkin pie is the best ice cream flavor, you see? The chocolate is just too sweet, I'm sorry" she added as he arched an eyebrow with a spoonful of chocolate ice cream on his mouth "and the berries ones are... well, I don't know, I just never met no one who absolutely loves strawberry ice cream" Tonks rambled with a huge smile in her face and a lot of ice cream everywhere around her mouth.

Her hair was first green that day, when they left Grimmauld Place, 12, with the idea of grabbing only a few supplies for Molly. The day turned out as weirdly as possible, like it always did when around Nymphadora. They caught the supplements, then decided to stop by the Leaky Cauldron for some butter beers and when he realized they were buying tickets for the next Weird Sisters concert and grabbing ice cream (well, she was grabbing ice cream for them both) at the Florean Fortescue and sitting by the pavement just like he used to do in better times with the Marauders. Now her hair was orange, just like her pumpkin pie ice cream and she was smiling widely with her legs under herself looking at him with the sweetest big blue eyes.

"You look just like a Weasley with those." Remus said, pointing to her hair.

"Oh, I didn't even noticed" she laughed at her ways. "I used to do that a lot in Hogwarts, you know, pick the Weasley's features, just to annoy Bill and Charlie."

Remus chuckled. "I didn't know you were on school together."

"Charlie and I were in the same year, we used to have the greatest time together" she smirked, a hint of nostalgia in her face. Jealousy bubbled in Remus chest but he didn't really know why. "But then he went abroad to study dragons and we lost touch."

"I see. It's hard to loose touch with someone you love, I guess."

Tonks arched a eyebrow and turned her hair back to the usual bubble gum pink. "Yep, first time I saw him again was last week in the reunion, he looks just the same after all this years."

"You talk like you are a ninety year old witch" Remus tried to keep his humor light, even with the hint of pain coming from his heart after listening the auror talk about her old friend with the biggest of the smirks.

"I could be" she teases and looks at his eyes. "Your mouth is covered with ice cream, let me clean it for you" and so did she, grabbing her auror robe sleeve and cleaning his mouth with the sweetest of the touches.

"So is yours" he chuckles, pretty sure she was looking a lot more messier then he was. She cleaned her mouth before he had the opportunity of releasing his left hand from Molly's things bag.

"You know, Mad Eye keeps arguing with me for being so reckless with my metamorphomagi, maybe he's right."

Lupin smiles at her change of subject. She was always like that, a sweet mess.

Remus sighed. "I don't think you are, I mean, you're one of the strongest witches I've ever know. Using your metamorphomagi at your will doesn't change the fact that you're really powerful."

"Thank you" Tonks said smirking, her eyes, now brown, on the people walking the alley.

Remus couldn't take his gaze out of her figure, he sighed. He was undeniable in love with this woman. He was so fucked.

II. Earth

Nymphadora, Remus realized very soon, was also kind of crazy. He's theory was that it is a Black feature.

"Sirius, if you lick my face one more time I won't go" she screamed inside the headquarters' kitchen. Her voice betraying her, showing the amusement in her tone.

Remus walked down the hall, one eyebrow arched at the weird talking. Why would Sirius be licking her face? He couldn't let those two together for a moment and a mess would be settled.

"I'm serious!" Tonks said, a little hysterical now. "I don't like you kissing me like this."

Kissing? Remus stopped on his heels. The worst of the thoughts crawling his mind. Were they a thing now? Wasn't she in love with Charlie till last week? They were surely very flirty last Friday, but maybe it was just that, innocent flirt, they were old friends after all.

The realization scared the air out his lungs and a nausea feeling started at his stomach. His best friend and the woman he felt in love for were now a thing. Maybe they're since the beginning for all he could tell. It wouldn't be a surprise, the Black family didn't seem to have a problem with relatives being in relationships, they were purebloods beyond everything. And, to be honest, Remus always thought that the cousins were really fond of each other. He sighed, continuing his walk to the kitchen. It couldn't get worst.

The werewolf got into the room and the scene in front of him made him laugh out loud. Tonks were lying at the floor, fighting the dog Sirius out of her face while he kept barking and licking her cheeks. What seemed to be a big happy smile on his dog face. Remus felt light again, seeing the girl of his dreams laughing too.

"Alright, enough" he said, getting close to the relatives with a grin. Sirius got of off Tonks body with a happy bark, approaching the man. "What the heck are you two up to?"

"Well, we are going to a picnic!" Tonks told him, getting on her feet and beating the dust out of her robes. "Sirius here insisted and I made some sandwiches" she pointed to one basket settled on the table "we also have some butter beers and tea."

Remus nodded, still smiling at the woman while petting Sirius head.

"Wanna come? We were just waiting for you, actually." It was the auror's time to grin. "I even made you hot cocoa!"

Lupin made a face, hope filling his heart once again. If they were a thing they wouldn't have waited for him to go out, nor thought about making hot cocoa for him.

"It's hot as hell outside, Tonks!"

"We will make it iced then, come on." Tonks said, grabbing the basket and walking to the door, both of the men, well, the man and the dog right behind her.

In less then ten minutes of a walk the three of them were in a small, but still beautiful, park. No one seemed to be around, nor muggle or wizard. Tonks took a huge breath and smiled soft at the happy Sirius running around. She sat down on the grass and took her shoes of, both of her foots filling the soft touch of the earth.

"How did you found this place?" Remus asked, sitting down by her side. "I mean, I'm always around and never walked this direction."

"Oh, I was flying on patrol one of these days and saw it from the sky."

"Makes sense."

"Then we just waited for an opportunity of coming, when no one were at the house" she sighed. "You know the order, they are all about constant vigilance."

"They aren't wrong, Dora" Remus said, waiting for her to scream at him by the use of other than her last name, for his surprise she just threw a small smile on his direction.

"I know they are not" she focused on her toes, playing with the grass. "I just hate seeing him like this, drowning on depression and alcoholism, not being able to even get out of that fucking mausoleum."

Remus sighed, grabbing her hand on his, he knew what she was talking about. Pads was the protagonist of all his worries lately.

"Thanks for coming, I love talking to you" she said, squeezing his hand and looking at his face with tender eyes.

"I like it too, there must be ages I don't sit on grass" he chuckles.

"I do it often, helps me staying down to earth. Knowing it all isn't the end of the world."

"Well..."

She arched her eyebrows for him, still smiling softly. "Don't even start your pessimistic bullshit, Remus."

"Fine. Just for you."

She looked around one more time, watching Sirius scaring some birds away, barking and running everywhere. She laughed once again, turning her head to the man that still watched her face carefully, as if she would break at one mere touch. She suddenly become overwhelmed with affection towards the werewolf and as soon as hot blood got to her cheeks she decided to lean for Remus, closing her eyes and touching his lips with hers. The gryffindor was caught in surprise and took some seconds to realize what was actually going on, he shouted his eyes closed and brought one of his hands up to her chin, tilting her head a little bit up, licking her bottom lip, asking for entrance so he could kiss her deeper.

It was the best kiss of his entire life. He was now pretty down to earth.

III. Fire

She was a glimpse of light on the dark and being with her always made the worst of the days burn on hope. This was a month after their first kiss, almost the end of June and one of those days.

"Do you guys truly agreed with everything Dumbledore is telling us to do?" Sirius asked, a bottle of firewhiskey in one hand and glossy eyes staring at Tonks at the end of the table. He knew that Remus did agreed, after all he was just looking for reassurance.

"I do, honestly" she answered, a glass standing in front of her. She stopped drinking the wine after her third glass, she didn't like being too drunk, it used to jeopardize her decisions. "Don't you?"

"I do, I think" Sirius began. "But I also think playing this defensive won't win any war."

"We are not in war yet, Sirius" Tonks was always the optimistic one. She grinned at her drunk cousin, curiosity in her eyes. "We just can't start chase Death Eaters when everyone else thinks they're vanished."

Sirius nodded with a sighed. "Sometimes I think you're too smart and beautiful for your own good, little cousin."

Remus arched an eyebrow at his friend statement, looking to the end of the table to the woman with piercing eyes. He wasn't jealous of their friendship anymore, he didn't hold any of this feeling towards even Charlie currently. Now Remus was almost sure he's feelings towards Tonks were at least a little bit reciprocated, once they were hanging out a lot lately and had kissed some more times after the day they walked dog Sirius to the park. However, the lack of communication between them both was scaring the werewolf's heart a little, he has tried to talk with the witch about his feelings twice already but couldn't afford to, since he always became really nervous and anxiety filled his body, the results were always a flushed face and sweaty hands and a smiling Tonks hugging him, understanding.

She waved Sirius compliment off. "I am starting to think you have feelings for me, cousin. Didn't know incest was your thing."

Sirius made a disgusted face and pretended to be throwing up, which Remus found odd, since he was probably drunk enough to actually put his liver off. "You're smart enough to know that I wouldn't do that to Moony here."

Tonks looked at Remus with wide eyes and the former professor knew that she was asking herself if the men had talked about Remus and her confused relationship. He also knew she didn't really care about it and was actually founding the whole conversation really fun.

"What?" Lupin pretended that he haven't heard the dialogue, drinking a sip of his own glass of wine.

"Oh, don't play dumb!" Sirius said, too loud for his own good. "I know you to are messing this whole damn place around."

Remus choked, his eyes becoming wide and his chest becoming full at Tonks' true hearted laugh.

"We are not messing around, Sirius" she told him, still chuckling.

"So is this a thing?" None of the couple (were they a couple?) couldn't answer. So Pads decided it was time to make a joke. "You know, I used to think you and Charlie were a thing."

"We were" Tonks said, honestly, her face cleaned as the spring sky "back in Hogwarts."

"Yeah, but you were all flirty and stuff, sometime ago, like, last month" Remus said, a dare shining on his eyes. He didn't try to talk to her about this before and he know he should, but then it just became to little for him to worry. Curiosity was now the only reason for talking about it.

Sirius was now just observing and sipping his drink, waiting for Tonks to answer his friend. He's normal self would call Remus a jealous teenager but he was already to drunk to concentrate in anything else then getting more drunk.

"We slept together sometimes."

"You can't lie to save your life, you know that?" Remus said, a grin on his face.

"Alright, it was just it, innocent flirty. Although Molly tried to get him to ask me out more than once."

Remus stared at her, mirroring her smile and they sat like this for some moments, gazing each other dearly, until they listened a thud and looked over Sirius, meeting he's head thrown at the table, the bottle empty by his side.

"Should we put him on bed?" Tonks asked, sadness and worry covering her expression.

"No" Remus said simply, just caring to explain after Tonks threw a stern look at him. "Last time I did this he woke up still drunk and tried to get down here, I think you saw the bruises later."

Tonks nodded and stand up, for a minute Remus thought she would go for Sirius, at the other side of the table, but she got in his direction, coming to sit down at his laps.

"So, I was thinking..." she started, her hand on his hair and her face really closed to his. "Should we go to bed then?"

Remus gasped and pushed her down for a kiss. He was quite drunk and wouldn't be doing this in the kitchen of his job headquarters, a place usually full of redheaded teenagers and with Sirius on the same room.

"Should we go to your place?" he asked while kissing her neck, she shouted her head back, giving him better access to her collarbone.

"I don't think you are sober enough for apparate" she told him, standing and offering her hand to him, they got upstairs in less then three minutes, not wanting any of the Weasley kids to find them like this. Nymphadora with a mess lipstick and Remus with a huge bulge under his khaki pants.

He opened his bedroom door quickly, pushing her in with the softest of the touches on her low back. The gesture gave her goosebumps.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, after she placed a mute charm on the room and locked the door with another spell, the place was so well organized it made her worry her presence didn't fit.

She leaned for him and put her arms around his neck, waiting for him to place his own in her hips. "Yes, I am, are you? I don't want you to think I am taking advantage of your drunk ass."

He laughed genuinely at her, kissing her so deeply her legs became week. Remus slipped his hands from her hips to her ass and to her thighs, encouraging her to put her legs wrapped around his hips and slamming her back on the door beside then. She let a cry get out of her mouth with the contact, he slid his hands up to under her shirt into her stomach, making shivers grow in her perfect porcelain skin. Her eyes shouted when he put both of his hands in each of her breasts, cupping and playing with her nipples.

"I always knew you didn't use bras." Remus laughed at her earlobe, while licking it and going down her jaw.

"Underclothes are overrated," she let out pushing his hips to her center by her ankles. "There's already too many clothes standing between us."

Remus nodded, grabbing her ass once again and walking them to the bed, throwing her there with lust in his eyes. Tonks gasped again out of surprise, she always thought that he would be a soft lover, but she wasn't complaining at all. Remus took his shirt off before lying over her.

Nymphadora put her hand back on his hair, kissing him fiercely, changing position and crawling over him. She drifted her head away, sitting straight over his growth, taking her shirt over head and letting it fall against the floor on a pile. Remus sighed at the sight, "He's right, you know, you are way too beautiful." Lupin quickly put his hands back on her nipples and sat straight to cover one of them with his mouth, she let a small moan scape her body.

"Stop talking about Sirius and fuck me" she whispered, suddenly getting up to take her last pieces of cloth off, letting her jeans slip down her strong legs while Remus did the same. She was back in bed in the blink of an eye, pushing his body over hers. He dragged his hand over her body until it was set over her wetness and used his fingers to open her lips and put pressure over her sensitive nerve. She sighed.

"I don't need this, Remus" she begs, impatient, spreading her legs to give him easier access to her entrance. "For Merlin, just fuck me already."

Remus laughed at her ways, grabbing his cock and putting it over her entrance, she cries his name when she feels his strength sliding inside her, eyes closed and hands everywhere. He waits for her to get used with him before giving another thrust, making it in a slow pacing first and then fastened a little bit, never taking his eyes out of her beautiful face contracted in pleasure.

Lupin brings one of his hand over her breasts, sucking the other one and using the other hand to stroke her clit, amused by the sounds she was making.

"Merlin," Tonks gasps, "Merlin, Remus…" She arches against his mouth, her fingers wound tight in his hair. He runs his hands up her thighs and over her stomach again, feeling her muscles clench and ripple as she rides out her orgasm, her chest heaving, her breath loud in the heavy silence of the room.

He let out a soft breath when she fell over the edge, her eyes as shut as possible. Then he felt it, his eyelids got closed and he saw light inside it, coming just after her, feeling his body get on fire.

IV. Water

It was March already and, weirdly for spring, heavy rains were blurring the skies every single day. Remus felt trapped. He couldn't leave the headquarters because he had strict orders to keep Sirius under control, but he also didn't want to stay in Grimmauld Place because he felt terrible about having to see Tonks. They had distanced a lot lately because of an argument about where they relationship was standing and what they meant for each other. Remus knew he loved her, he was damn sure of that and that's exactly why he told the 24 years old at the beginning of the month that they shouldn't be together anymore.

_"What are you saying?" she asked back then, sitting on the couch of the library, eyes widen open and a scary look at her face._

_"I don't think it was a good idea, darli-"_

_"Don't call me that" Tonks tone was angry, her brunette locks were beginning to tend a little more red. She was sad, angry and couldn't understand at all what was happening. "Why?"_

_Remus sighed, sitting on the center table in front of her. "I am a danger for you."_

_Tonks laughed sarcastic, her eyes rolling at its orbits. That didn't help him at all and just made he realize how young she was. "I am not scared of you, in case you didn't notice."_

_"That doesn't matter, Dora" she sent him a death glare at the nickname. "I am a threat for you, I am too old, too poor, I don't have nothing to give you."_

_Tonks looked at his eyes, looking for any sign of regret or drunkenness, 'cause in her mind a joke or alcohol were the only reasons he could do that to her. Instead, she found sadness, bitterness and the greatest fear she had ever saw there. _

_She felt sorry for her stubbornness, and lean her elbows over her knees to pick his hands on hers. "You are not a threat if you turn into a wolf one day in the month and are the best man alive in the other twenty nine days. How many times do I have to tell you?"_

_He shocked his head, unable to believe her sweet words anymore._

_"I don't care if you are too old or too poor, I can make my own decisions, please don't run away from me."_

_"You are the one who should be running, Nymphadora" there were tears over his cheeks now, but she didn't had the courage to wipe it out._

_She sighed, "I love you"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_She got up and left the room in one heart beat._

So there he was, trapped between looking out for Sirius and this fucking house. He sighed, the evening had took a lot more time to come than he was expecting today. It was Friday night and the order was having a meeting that he was already late for.

"Oh, I am sorry" Tonks said, startling Remus up when she walked in his bedroom with a bag on her hand and two more under her eyes while he was changing, already late too. "I thought you would be downstairs."

He nodded, "Still doesn't explain why you are here, Dora."

She looked at him with apologetic eyes, watching him getting his shirt buttoned.

"I need to get out of my auror robes, there's someone on the washrooms and I didn't want to step anywhere else, you know this place."

"Oh, I see" he agreed, ready for leaving the room but stopped by her soft touch on his forearm.

He sighed, turning around looking at her eyes for the first time in three weeks, it was bright with tears and remorse got its way to his heart, making his own face be burden by tears. It was the first time she let herself be this weak around him, always going to Molly or Sirius for comfort.

"Why are we doing this if we are both heartbroken?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"Fine," she wiped her cheeks, loosing her grip on his arm. "Can you tell Dumbledore I got sick or so?"

She was gone before he could say anything else. He stood on his place for two more minutes before listening the door slammed close and sighed, deciding it was time to go downstairs for what really mattered, the war.

Surprisingly, so, when he walked the kitchen everyone was silent, sipping tea and looking for each other under a tension that could be cut with a knife. Not every Order member where there tonight, today Dumbledore wanted to discuss some Hogwarts protection measures, so there were just the aurors, McGonagall and Pomfrey, altogether with Sirius, Molly and Arthur.

"Tonks said she was with some nausea so she decided to go home earlier" he said, walking down to sit between Sirius and Molly, but he knew no one actually believed on him when all of them exchanged worried gazes.

"Her nausea's name is stubborn wolf?" Sirius asked, seriously.

Remus sighed for what looked the hundredth time on the evening. "What's it know? An intervention?"

Dumbledore grinned, his eyes glowing under his glasses. "Well, you can call it whatever you want, Remus."

"You have no right to break her heart like this, Remus" Mad Eye told him fiercely, already angry with all the sadness the werewolf put his protégée in.

Remus looked at his own hands, finding all this kind of overwhelmed, had they really put all this shit just so he would be this embarrassed?

"Do you love her at least a little bit?" Poppy asked, her usual caring eyes on his figure.

He nodded, still looking to his hand, if he was trapped on this ridiculous thing then he should at least be honest. "More than I ever loved anyone."

"Then?" Minerva asked, truly misunderstanding it.

"Then?" Lupin asked, incredulously. "I am too dangerous for her, too old. I can't offer her nothing, just a cursed life."

Everyone at the room looked at each other with knowing eyes. Then a marathon of assuring speeches started.

"Oh, darling" Molly was the first, giving him a hand squeeze. "Why can't you understand that she doesn't care? She have enough light on her self to cover all darkness in anyone's life."

"Besides, she isn't asking nothing of you, she just want you to accept her love, just like your mother and your friends did. A Marauder is smarter then this Remus."

"And she's a really powerful witch, you know that I trained her myself, right? She could beat your ass off with her eyes closed, wolf or man."

"It's dark times, Remus, you got to choose if you're going for what makes you hope better times are coming or for what makes the weather darker. You gotta stop having pity on yourself, 'cause we all know you deserve better than this."

"You're a gryffindor, for Merlin's sake."

When it was time for Arthur to speak, he had a lot of water running over his face, but he wasn't even slightly as ashamed of it as he was from his lack of sense on these weeks.

"I am-" he was out of the house before he could say anything else, looking throw the rain to see if there were anyone close so he could apparate, but he was surprised by a small frame just down the small stairs, standing just one step from the floor.

"Tonks."

She looked back at his figure, she was wet to her bones. "Figured I should wait a little bit before apparate, you know. Get my shit together."

"Why didn't you thrown a spell over you? You're going to be really sick" he told her, going over and saying the word with his wand.

"Why would you care?"

He didn't had an answer unless the one he was meaning to say her for almost a year. "'Cause I love you."

She sighed, letting herself being hugged on the rain, with her now warm robes. "Took you long enough."

"I am so sorry."

And it was just like that. She was mutable as water. Changeable as the rain. She came slow, as a drizzle and end up being the scariest october storm. He couldn't love her more.


End file.
